Nowhere Near Respectable Read Online Free PDF Page A

jerked. He grabbed at her reflexively and they fell together with him on top.
    She made a vicious attempt to knee him in the groin. Immobilizing her with his weight, he hissed in her ear, “Stop trying to unman me when I’m rescuing you!”
    She stopped fighting. “Then let go so we can get the devil out of here!”
    He promptly released her and they both scrambled to their feet. He tossed the pouch containing the fifty guineas into the cave, then followed her out the exit passage.
    Outside it was pouring rain, but the night seemed light compared to the darkness of the cave. At least now it was possible to see the general shape of his surroundings.
    Ahead of him, Kiri ran recklessly along the ledge, then scampered up the rocky path ahead like a crazed mountain goat. Mackenzie grinned as he matched her speed. The girl must have been frightened by her captivity, but she hadn’t let fear paralyze her. Which was good, since it wouldn’t be long until Howard and maybe some of the other smugglers came after them.
    Rain made the path dangerously slippery. Kiri had almost reached the small clearing that contained the paddock when she lost her footing and fell, sliding toward the edge that would drop her to the rocks below. Barely in time, Mac anchored himself on a gnarled bush with one hand and made a frantic grab at the girl.
    The force of his sweeping arm jerked her back to safety against the cliff wall. For a moment they stood frozen, warm bodies pressed together against the cold, wet stone. Intoxicating lilacs and spice and woman jolted through him with an intensity that made him forget that drunken, furious smugglers were after them.
    His trance was broken when she snapped, “Let go of me, you oaf!”
    Jerking free, Kiri raced up the path again. He reached the clearing a few steps behind her. He could hear her panting as she stood at the paddock gate, and he guessed that she was calming herself so as not to upset the animals inside.
    Before he reached her, she opened the gate and moved in among the shaggy ponies. A tall riding hack with a white blaze made a whuffling sound and ambled toward her. She began crooning soft words and captured the horse easily. Mac was glad to see that the beast was saddled and ready to ride. That didn’t speak well for the smugglers’ care for horses, but it was convenient now.
    Since Mac had expected his visit to be short, his horse was also saddled, so they could get away quickly. Because of the threatening rain, he’d rolled up a spare cloak and fastened it behind César’s saddle. He retrieved the cloak and shook it out, then took it to his warrior maiden as she led her horse out of the paddock. “Here, lass.”
    She whirled around, a knife glinting in her hand. “Keep away!”
    “Put that thing down,” he said mildly. “I’m offering this cloak so you won’t freeze to death.”
    “Sorry.” She didn’t sound as if she meant it, but the knife disappeared and she accepted the cloak. “My thanks.”
    Mackenzie thought he heard a faint chattering of teeth as she wrapped the garment around herself. On most females, the cloak would drag on the ground, but this one was tall enough that the fabric swirled around her ankles.
    “Need a hand in mounting?” he asked.
    She glanced up at the large horse. “Yes,” she said grudgingly.
    The lass didn’t waste words, and her tone was icier than the night. She planted a riding boot on his linked hands and vaulted into the saddle. He watched in admiration, wondering if other women might adopt split skirts like hers. Ignoring him, Kiri put her heels to her mount and headed up the slanting trail with a skill that suggested she’d been put on horseback directly from the cradle.
    Shaking his head with amusement, Mac shooed a couple of friendly ponies back so he could latch the gate, then mounted César. The darkness and rain slowed Kiri down, so she wasn’t far ahead of him. When he reached the top of the track, he found her halted and